If you're of a certain age there are certain games that are embedded firmly in your gaming brain. Whether through the original arcade or the eye-searing sequels from Jeff Minter, Tempest may be one of those games.
Atari has now confirmed that the latest entry in the series, which was developed by Llamasoft 'in partnership with designer Jeff Minter', is heading to Switch (and Atari's own VCS) on 22nd March. Tempest 4000 is pretty much what you'd expect, which is the familiar concept of frantic shooting while rotating around a 'rail' of sorts. Yeah, just watch the trailer.
We actually thought this was a new game at first, but actually it's been around on Steam, PS4 and Xbox One since Summer 2018. Oh well, it's coming to Switch now, and below is some of the official blurb.
- A Blast from the Past: Take down hordes of enemies in this fast-paced, retro-arcade style shooter
- Pick a Mode, Any Mode: Pick from three different game modes including Classic, Pure and Survival that will push your skills to the limit
- Level Up: Progress and conquer 100 unique geometric levels by destroying enemies with various weapons and power-ups, and by earning upgrades through bonus rounds
- Scale the Leaderboards: Show off your high score in your quest to be recognized as number one
- Get Bass Boosted: Enjoy the beats of a thumping soundtrack inspired by early 1990’s techno
It could certainly be rather fun. Let us know if you're planning to dig out that favourite '90s jacket that doesn't fit any more before playing this one in March.
Comments 64
One of the finest classic series of games ever. I remember Tempest 2000 being the best reason to own an Atari Jaguar, lol. Physical release for Tempest 4000 on Switch please, Atari. P.S. - If you own a Vita, do yourselves a favor and go buy a digital copy of TxK.
I just hope that Atari prices it accordingly. The $30 console price makes no sense when you can pick up copies for half of that (or less).
YEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Tempest 2000 is the best video game ever made (yes, I know the Jaguar sucks...but the game doesn't!)
Ah man. Can't wait.
This is a nice surprise! I love Tempest! The last one I played was on my Vita, and that was great too!
Well this came out of the blue (given how long ago it released on other formats). I love Jeff Minter games and buy them all, so this too will be mine on Switch, even though I have it on PS4.
@Magician If I'm not misremembering, Jeff and Atari got into a row over TxK (for being so close to Tempest) and they eventually agreed to leave the game be if he agreed to make Tempest 4000 for them.
@mike_intv I believe Jeff openly criticised Atari for their pricing of Tempest 4000. Think he said they priced it £10 more than he thought they should, or something like that.
@BionicDodo I wonder what the pricing for the switch version will be.
I will never get the image of Tempest out of my mind, thanks to another game that starts with the letter P.
This NEEDS a joycon with a dial on it ( like the OG Tempest cabs). I wish Nintendo had gotten funky with some joycon variants.
Thought this game looked familiar. I played Tempest on the ZX Spectrum back when I was just a toddler the year it came out so needless to say this is a day one for me.
Yes I was wondering how long til we get this game. Already got this on Steam but would gladly double dip on this for on the go play. Tempest 2000 was my favorite Atari Jaguar and Sega Saturn game back then so getting the true sequel Tempest 4K is awesome.
@AG_Awesome This being Atari I expect it will be the same £24.99 as the PS4 version. Unless they add a Switch tax! The PS4 version is currently £12.49, which is one of the only times I've ever seen it on sale (digital that is, it's always around £9.99 on disc).
Finally an Atari game that's actually somewhat worth picking up lol
@Magician You can't anymore, you could still shop for it but can't buy it directly from the PS Vita unless you still own a PS3. Any games you want to purchase on PS Vita will need to be download to the PS3 first and use the system transfer feature to transfer that game from PS3 to PS Vita in able to play it. Eventually once Sony close the shop for good that's when it's all over. Even if you could go and buy it, the shop won't accept credit and debit cards or gift cards anymore, you just had to find a way to get external points to use for the purchase.
@Specter_of-the_OLED Most unfortunate.
I got this on Xbox at Half-Price Books for $7 as a sealed markdown.
The PS4 copies sold faster for around $14, from what I recall.
The problem with Nintendo is they often get really old ports that are dirt cheap elsewhere.
This is something I have wanted for a while. Didn’t know it existed. Would love modern versions of Joust, Paper Boy also.
@GrailUK I like your enthusiasm, could I trouble you to elaborate a bit on what makes the game fun/exciting/addictive/etc for you? I can imagine, but sounds like you’ve played tempest a fair bit more than I have.
Going in the “maybe” list!
But this is TxK for my PlayStation Vita?!
I wonder if this game will also be coming to the Intellivision Amico. Tommy Tallarico did mention that a Tempest game is planned for the Amico, he didn't say which one though but if a retro reimagine is anything to go by Tempest 4000 is definitely that.
Oh fun, I have fond memories of having played this inside of Microsoft Arcade on our first PC running Windows 3.11
@BlubberWhale For me, it's one of those games where you just end up 'in the zone'. When it clicks and you can hold the d-pad and let go exactly on the thread you want, it's pure arcade adrenaline. The screen get's so full and cluttered and it should overload your senses yet you never lose sight of the game (the reason why the Playstation version sucked was you did - it did too much). It's like being on electronic drugs lol. (Probably didn't help lol. But yeah, love Tempest.)
I lost hours of my life coming home from school and playing Tempest 2000 on my Sega Saturn. I have wanted to relive those memories for years and I couldn't be more pleased by this
It obviously will not be VR on the Switch, but I was just wondering if this game got the VR treatment on PS? This looks like a perfect candidate for VR like they did with Tetris. That Tetris VR game is a freaking trip with the music and visuals. I could totally see this being equally awesome.
oh great! have this on the vita, but must by to have it here...
And Nintendo live, it was released on the vita in 2015 or so, and made for ps4, but Atari (new ownership) and Jeff had some problems.. in 2018 it the released after the problems were solved
Loved Tempest back in the day & I would get this .. but worried that joycon drifting would ruin the experience
@PharoneTheGnome I believe the dev Jeff Minter wanted it to have PSVR support (all of his other PS4 games support it) but Atari thought it wasn't worth the extra development cost.
FYI: This game is on the PlayStation store for 50 percent off now.
The original Tempest is one of my favorite arcade games of all time. I still play it regularly on the Switch via the Atari Flashback collection.
@Specter_of-the_OLED
Hahahaha, I suspect not.
Yes I know they were not done by ATARI, but seeing this made me long for 2 adaptions for switch ZAXXON and VIEWPOINT 2 awesome space games that deserve reboot along side of the classic versions. I for one would delve into these games again.
Played the original at a exhibit. Great fun.
@Specter_of-the_OLED Tommy Tallarico says a lot of things.
@Riff-the-Don The original Tempest was already on Switch and there's no worry of joycon drift that will make it unplayable. Just plug in a wireless arcade stick and play it old school.
@BionicDodo the PSVR element of Tempest 4000 was complete and ready to go, but Atari specifically told Llamasoft to take it out for release. No reason ever given, as far as I know. Jeff was absolutely gutted about it.
@WiteWulf 'Atari' are... odd. Can't see Jeff working with them again.
@Specter_of-the_OLED I didn’t know the original one was out, I’ll take a look.
I’ve got a pro controller too so that would probably be my go-to more than an arcade stick .. any that you would recommend & games it’s best suited for?
I was the lucky owner of a Jaguar and about 6 games waaaaaayyyyyy back. I got it and the games for £80 in a secondhand store when the machine was a financial flop. It was around in the late SNES and maybe early N64 era, so to see and play games that looked and played like Tempest 2000 and Alien vs Predator was mind-blowing. Play them two a LOT. Especially at night on my 'huge' Sony CRT with the lights off and and my headphones on max. Tempest was like entering a different dimension under those conditions.
They need to port Tempest 3000 away from the enigmatic Nuon and release it on today's contemporary platforms. 😃
It's funny that they announced this, considering how I was just listening to the Tempest 2000 soundtrack last night. The music in these games are top tier.
This is the best news evaaahh!!
Tempest 2000 was an absolute classic , I haven’t played any of the other iterations but I may well get this
Also today I just finally got my Atari Jaguar working on my HD television (quite expensive to get that working).
But still… best news evah!
@EVIL-C this would be nice. Still haven’t played this game.
Awesome! My Atari Flashbacks cart only has an old 30fps version of Tempest. It will be so great to have a proper 60fps Tempest on Switch! I'm so excited for this release!
@Fairburne Tempest X3 is such an amazing PSX game! Love the trippy mode that gives everything mindblowing aftereffects!
@Fairburne ah i forgot I had that one too... (just realized I have have T2000 on the jaguar, T3000 on the psi, space giraffe on the X360, TxK on the Vita and T4000 on the ps4.. all great though.. space giraffe is often misunderstood
I love space giraffe
@koekiemonster I have a jaguar controller modded with a ball bearing spinner. Got it from Russia years ago. It's amazing
What is this Tempest 2K you kids keep chattering about, Original Tempest or get out! Well, I guess I am "of a certain age" after all.
For real though, this looks fun, and the OG Tempest is one of the all-time greats. I'm not sold on the music for this so far, but the visuals are spot on.
Cautiously interested, depending on price.
@Riff-the-Don Yeap it's available as part of the Atari Flashback Classics collection.
@Magician Hell yeah! Physical edition, please. Yes, TxK is one of the best games ever made. Even though for most gamers one Tempest is probably enough, I'd love to have all of them on Switch. Tempest 2000, 3000, X cubed, and TxK (if Atari could just please make a deal with Jeff!) all should be on Switch and all other current consoles.
@brunojenso I bought a Jag and CD toilet bowl add on used from some guy decades ago. I loved Tempest 2000, but got the most use out of Jeff Minters' awesome CD visualization software. I loved listening and watching Stereolab on that thing!
@PharoneTheGnome One of Minters' game does. I've forgotten now. I sold my PS VR thing, but Tetris Effect and Minters game were two of my favorites on it. I think it might be Space Giraffe, not Tempest 4000. I'll probably get PSVR 2 someday...
@Fighter_Hayabusa Yeah, I wish Hori would make a nice dial/paddle controller for this and all the breakout/arkanoid type games.
@GamerDad66
you arent wrong, but my angle is that it isnt portable elsewhere. the portability makes it more desirable and therefore more valuable than on other platforms. imo.
its moot for me because i wouldnt touch a psx or xbox with a 10 foot pole in 2022. so, the price is what it is.
Needs a spinner. Tempest just isn't the same without one.
Been eyeballing this on PSN for 3 years but at $30? No. Finally last week I saw it for $15! Grabbed it asap! Great classic game from the once kings of the gaming industry! Oddly the Xbox One version did NOT go on sale though. Physical version for switch would be nice.
i only own one "oddball" system (if you don't count sega cd) and it's a Jaguar. I have one game for it.
i cant fn wait to play this!
@GrailUK No I like that, and I’ve gotten basically the same sensation you’re describing from shmups and other similar arcade experiences… I knew Tempest was something of a classic, I just wanted to hear from someone who’s played it the right way, enough to get good and get a feeling for what it can offer… or something lol. Thanks, I’m pretty sure if I took the time to learn it I would love it.
I am absolutely of a certain age, hence my avatar. Friggin loved Tempest in the arcades. I am horribly bad at it, but still love it. Yeah I'll get this to add to my new versions of Centipede and Burger Time on the Switch, and my Space Invaders on the Wii U. I really want the OG Donkey Kong too, but seriously Nintendo $8 for an extremely old game available on MAME?
Space Giraffe was one of my favorite 360 arcade games back in the day. Love pretty much anything Minter does.
I’m with the other elders here and never played (never even heard of) Tempest 2000 or TxK or Jeff Minter. But old arcade Tempest rocks, and seeing how excited you “kids” are for these sequels, Tempest 4000 looks like a winner.
Hori? Horii??? Are you paying attention??? Now is the time to get your multi-arcade controller built! I already told you I’d buy it instantly. Tempest needs a spinner!
Or maybe someone can port this to the Egret mini I preordered, along with the spinner & trackball controller for Arkanoid. 😜
@WiteWulf That's horrible. Tempest VR would have been awesome.
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